The EV Project, which we first blogged about a year ago, is successfully wrapping up in Tennessee. Its impact in bringing electric vehicles (EVs) to the market is significant and will continue for years to come. And, because of the project’s success in TN and other states, it is now expanding across the nation.

As part of The EV Project’s success in Tennessee, 855 agreements were signed by restaurants, businesses and residents to host charging stations. 490 Level 2 charging stations have been installed to date, plus 12 other DC fast chargers. And, more than 615 Nissan Leafs and Chevrolet Volts were sold as part of the project. These numbers exceeded the goals set for the project in Tennessee. For more information on the success and lessons learned of the EV project so far, visit their website here.

This month, the project is expanding. Most notable for the Southeast is that it’s coming to Atlanta – for those in the Midwest, it’s also expanding to Chicago.

The EV Project, managed by ECOtality, provides funding for residential and commercial charging stations and, in turn, you allow them to collect data from the vehicles, including where and how long you charge, your mileage and generally how the vehicles are being operated. This information helps the companies improve EVs and EV infrastructure over time, paving the way for a truly EV future.

The project is a massive effort to provide the United States with the infrastructure necessary to prepare for the charging needs of electric vehicles; it’s funded by Department of Energy grants and partner matches. It was launched in October of 2009.

Driving an electric car protects drivers from the fluctuations and rising prices of the oil market and helps the US move towards energy independence. Battery vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions, which helps keep our air safer for our lungs and our planet. Even accounting for emissions from coal-fired power plants fueling EVs, the emissions are less than from conventional internal combustion engines (although the percentage reduction will vary by electricity source and over time). The two most popular EVs are the Nissan LEAF, with a range of 73 miles, and the Chevy Volt, with an electric range of 35 miles and a total range of 379 miles. New vehicles are coming out every day, including one of the most recent additions, the Plug In Toyota Prius (stay tuned for an upcoming blog on this new Prius soon)!

EV Charging Stations

By Ecotality’s count, there are already 261 Nissan Leafs in Atlanta and they’d like to see another 500 vehicles (Volts and Leafs) enter the program. The project also plans to deploy approximately 500 residential, more than 300 commercial and even a few Blink DC fast charging stations in Atlanta. With the EV Project coming to Atlanta, these new stations will make it even more convenient to drive electric. We are excited to see the program expanding to another one of SACE’s hometowns and we are thrilled to be a partner in the project.

Clean Cities-Atlanta, among several others, has been a leader in bringing EVs to Atlanta and will also be a lead partner in the project. To kick off the project in the ATL, Ecotality and various partners are hosting a Partner Forum on August 16, 10am-11:30am at Ventanas, 275 Baker St., Atlanta, GA 30313. To register, visit http://www.theevproject.com/atlantaforum.php

Come out, learn about EVs and welcome this great project to Atlanta! If you are interested in staying up-to-date on the EV project, visit The EV Project website and join the electronic distribution list. Business owners interested in having a charging station installed at their place of business can sign up at The EV Project website. Individuals interested in participating in the program must purchase a Nissan LEAF and register it here. For answers to more questions about electric vehicles or The EV Project, visit http://www.theevproject.com/education.php.

It is good to see such growth in electric vehicles. But this does increase the use of electricity, and makes it more important that we develop clean energy – solar and wind. While it may be somewhat better to use electricity from coal burning plants than to use gasoline to power cars, it is even better to use solar or wind.

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